Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

This one is more of an ode to modern metal, but it's still really cool. After starting with a cinematic symphonic intro that would almost make you think it might lead symphonic metal, the track is actually an alt-metal blend of a Linkin Park-esque rapping verse, a pop punk chorus inspired by A Day To Remember, and a bridge filled with the melodic metalcore of early Avenged Sevenfold and the nu metal of Slipknot, all 4 of those bands paid lyrical tribute to in said chorus:

A poor unnecessary attempt at a political attack that's hard for me to listen to:

A song from Megadeth's 1994 album Youthanasia was re-recorded with greater energy and guest vocalist by Lacuna Coil vocalist Cristina Scabbia:

Daniel, seeing how much you've enjoyed Rorschach's second album Protestant, I don't think you'll have any problem checking out their 1990 debut Remain Sedate. It's the very first metalcore album, and Charles Maggio's vocals lean more towards gruff shouts, as opposed to his hysterical shrieks in Protestant.

Pelle, seeing how much you like the idea of death metal mixed with more modern sounds of alt-/groove metal, this Disbelief album shall be right up your alley. Blending the standard death metal that you might find in 90s Hypocrisy and Bolt Thrower with the sludgy side of Neurosis and Will Haven, and a bit of Entombed's Wolverine Blues, you can find an excellent extreme death 'n' roll/sludge/groove metal sound, that barely any other band has tried.

Hey there, Pelle! Here are some albums for you to start diving into Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti's other bands. Saxy, I would recommend these to you as well:

Rex, I recommend giving Dir En Grey a try. They're a band with a lot of style changes, like one minute they're Japanese pop rock and the next they're extreme metal. Their 2008 album Uroboros is what I would recommend the most for the ultimate best of their stylistic experimentation.

Actually, why not simply "Metalcore Revolution"? That'll kill two birds with one stone.

Sounds good, Daniel.

Yeah, I agree that "Rebellion" and "Invasion" sound better. Good suggestions, Daniel.

OK, so I've decided to change the title of The Horde playlist to "Death Metal/Grindcore Apocalypse" to see how it goes. Strangely none of the other death/graind-related playlists have used the word "apocalypse" as yet as far as I can see.

I think changing the playlists' names to include a word appropriate for the clans and their genres (while making sure no other playlists uses the chosen word) really is a wise move, rather than following the "academic" theme. Here's what I would suggest for my clan playlists:

The Revolution - Metalcore Riot

The Sphere - Industrial Metal Future

I just found this Creed song that's probably the closest they've gone to alt-metal. That video-game-styled music video though...

Good tips, Daniel. For the past few months (March, April, May) and other different times, I've started my Revolution/Sphere playlists with an introductory song for what to expect in a playlist followed by 3 to 5 tracks that are melodic, classic, and/or from one of the more popular bands (Revolution band examples: Sonic Syndicate, As Blood Runs Black, War of Ages, The Amity Affliction, As I Lay Dying, Bullet for My Valentine, Killswitch Engage; Sphere band examples: Godflesh, Dodheimsgard, Rob Zombie, Nailbomb, Marilyn Manson, Fear Factory, Samael). That way, I can get listeners hooked for each playlist before it gradually gets darker, more chaotic, and experimental, all ending with an epic and one or two solid closing songs for a sense of closure. I'm not highly strict about it though, I sometimes mix up the order a bit every now and then to break up the monotony and not bore long-time listeners. I won't spoil too much of my upcoming June playlists, but all I'll say is, expect more modern/dark tracks to start those journeys...

I'm not really a fan of Creed, but I'm already familiar with a couple singles from them like "With Arms Wide Open" and "My Sacrifice", whether they appear on the radio or have been shared by one of my rock-loving outside-world friends. My brother is a fan of post-grunge/hard rock/alt-metal (Skillet, Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, etc.), so he probably wouldn't mind a bit of that band. Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti would later form a couple alt-metal bands with progressive/thrash tendencies, Alter Bridge (alongside fellow Creed members bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips) and Tremonti, and I would recommend checking out those two bands. Like Creed, but heavier!

1. Gateway playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 13)

2. Infinite playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 9)

3. Revolution playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: ALL 29)

4. Sphere playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: ALL 24)

For the clans I've made the monthly playlists for, I've listened to the entire playlists! I'm grateful to Saxy and Daniel for their playlist works. I really dig the tracks I've reviewed in the Gateway and Infinite playlists made by Saxy, and I'm glad the playlists I've made have paid off. I recommend them to any fan of the clans' respective genres and anyone who isn't into those genres but wants to get into a great start in enjoying them. Thanks, Daniel, for accepting these playlists, and good work all!

THE GATEWAY: Living Colour - Stain (1993) 3/5

THE INFINITE: Alchemist - Jar of Kingdom (1993) 5/5

THE REVOLUTION: Rorschach - Protestant (1993) 5/5

THE SPHERE: AP2 - Suspension of Disbelief (2000) 5/5

Although the Gateway feature release is not really up my alley but still decent, the feature releases for my other 3 clans are all glorious gems that I would recommend to fans of their respective genres, with a grand discovery in Alchemist's debut. Keep up the good work on the feature releases, all! I look forward to more...

Synthwave metal at its best in the perfect ending to this Parasite Inc. album:

Who knew synthwave and melodeath can go well together in a catchy blend? I certainly didn't before encountering this album and highlights like this song:

I just discovered this cover of a Fear Factory song, and while the original song is still amazing, Mechina gave it an epic enhancement:

The lack of balance in some songs from this Mechina album can stir up a few failures, with this one being the worst, most flat-sounding sh*tter there:

The perfect epic cyber metal soundtrack to a sci-fi boss battle:

A true symphonic blessing with the right balance of guitar and orchestra:

A perfect metallic attempt in throwing back to the mid-2000s post-hardcore scene:

The perfect progressive closing epic to this out-of-this-world experience:

A cacophonic highlight of 70s space rock twisted into intricate thrashy death metal rhythms:

I totally agree with you, Daniel. Jar of Kingdom is so experimental that the avant-garde metal tag is a must! Except I still find a lot of progressiveness from the complex structures and twists enough that the progressive metal tag isn't redundant. So while I'm voting YES for this entry, I'll vote NO for your possible later entry of taking out the progressive metal tag.

Thanks so much for this, Daniel! Here's my review summary:

I haven't heard of this band from Canberra, Australia before, but let me fill you in right away on what to expect from Alchemist's debut Jar of Kingdom. This is avant-garde/progressive death metal soaring through the psychedelic cosmos! This is the kind of style that's either awesome or too weird to enjoy. In this case, it's the former. Alchemist made an experiment in metal alchemy that has really paid off! With this incredible debut, I have a great feeling about the rest of their discography. There are many things that are both expected and unexpected all in one dish. Avant-garde/prog-metal has lots of twists through death and doom here. For newcomers to The Infinite genres, it may sound weird and take some time to digest. Listeners of the album get an out-of-this-world experience, as 70s space rock and Eastern balladry twisted into intricate thrashy death metal rhythms. Frontman Adam Agius actually damaged his voice during recording, hence the rawness of his deathly vocals here. The complex experimentation of Alchemist is a deathly adventure through the dark psychedelic depths of space!

5/5

As with Mushroomhead's debut, there are a couple pointless short tracks in Living Colour's Stain, with this track being the worst offender there:

An explosive highlight of Living Colour's usual funk/alt-metal/rock:

I've done my review, here's its summary:

Living Colour has been shaping up the funk metal scene since their 1988 debut album Vivid that includes their Grammy-winning hit, political anthem "Cult of Personality". In the years that followed, even more exposure was inevitable thanks to more popular tour-mates Guns N' Roses and The Rolling Stones, as well as participating in the Lollapalooza tour on its very first year, 1991. Bassist Muzz Skillings left the group before they could start recording their 3rd album Stain. His replacement Doug Wimbish has been known for working with popular musicians like Madonna and Mick Jagger. Bad Brains producer Ron Germain helped show the band's dark heavy side while suitable for the mainstream. The more melodic songs truly stand out here, whether they pack killer punches or crank it down to ballad-ish territory. Though I can do without some of the more experimental tracks, particularly a few oddballs towards the end. With all that said, Stain is a decent funky album with a few standouts, a few mess-ups, and a few in-betweens. Despite its success, the album ceased printing for 20 years due to a lawsuit from the band The Stain, and Living Colour split up due to creative differences. It won't be until a decade after Stain's release when their next offering would occur....

3/5

OK, thanks Daniel.

Hmmm... "Metalcore-riculum" doesn't have the same ring. Maybe "Metalcore Gym"? It fits well with the academic theme for a different reason, a common metal genre for people to listen to during gym workouts.

My 3 favorite Dir En Grey albums are Uroboros, Arche, and Phalaris. Out of those 3 albums though, Uroboros is what I would recommend the most for the ultimate best of their stylistic experimentation.

Self-proclaimed "old school death metal pop" band. Is it good? you decide!

https://youtu.be/LhaDlpHyvsk?si=_7vKYeBOrO7cO2GI

I always thought Dir En Grey was the only band that can blend together Japanese pop rock with extreme metal so easily, but this band can do it quite well too. Nice one, Pelle!

awesome and classic band, I only really love mystic places of dawn, though. Hey, you're pretty active in this thread, that's pretty cool!

An enjoyable piece of symphonic death metal:

Oh yeah, I've been trying to get back in touch with melodic/progressive/symphonic death metal lately.

Here's how I would genre-tag the 8 tracks in Scorpions' Taken by Force:

1. Steamrock Fever - Hard rock

2. We'll Burn the Sky - Hard rock/heavy metal

3. I've Got To Be Free - Hard rock

4. The Riot of Your Time - Hard rock

5. The Sails of Charon - Hard rock/heavy metal

6. Your Light - Hard rock/heavy metal

7. He’s a Woman, She’s a Man - Hard rock/heavy metal

8. Born to Touch Your Feelings - Hard rock

Primary genres: Hard rock, heavy metal

Secondary genres: N/A

With all that, I agree that Taken by Force is more of a hard rock album, but I consider half the amount of tracks metal enough to make heavy metal a primary genre for the album. The metal songs also happen to be my favorite highlights of the album, which may caused my view on the album to look a bit biased, but it's just pure coincidence. I still like the hard rock songs, with the only part I truly can't stand being the final third of "Born to Touch Your Feelings".

Glam metal is considered a hard rock genre in RYM, not metal, so no. Sorry, Pelle. But if there are one or two albums from a non-metal band that you find metal enough to be in the site, you may ask Ben to add them and then make a submission for the Hall of Judgement, a feature for site members to vote on which genre(s)/clan(s) any album should go to.

I wasn't thinking about big corporations, Sonny, just people using AI in general. Sadly, AI or not, big corporations of entertainment media don't care about what is really tolerated, they just want to gain money.

Pestilence has also taken some heat for the original AI cover of their re-recording album Levels of Perception, and as a result, they ended up using a different cover art featuring all the band members. But whether or not people keep putting down AI art/music for being fake or mangling copyrighted work, there's no escape from the inevitable evolution of technology. I gotta admit, I've explored countless AI-produced pieces of art and music and I enjoy them as long as they're used in a respectable and respectful manner. Some examples of AI metal that I like include several of those band vocalist cover experimentations, those AI Plankton voice tracks made by Boi What, and this DragonForce "demo track" someone made as an April Fool's Joke:

Excellent, thanks Daniel!

Listening to this catchy cyber metal party anthem again on its album's one-year anniversary:

Kulintang death metal.... A very interesting combo! With that and the fact that I'm Malaysian, I should check out that band as soon as they get added to the site. Thanks for that, Pelle.

Here are my sneak peek submissions for the June Sphere playlist:

Argyle Park - "Leave Me Alone" (5:31) from Misguided (1994) (only song from that album that I find metal enough for inclusion)

Celldweller - "Blind Lead the Blind" (6:00) from Satellites (2022)

Gothminister - "Hatred" (3:33) from Gothic Electronic Anthems (2003)

In This Moment - "Hunting Grounds" (4:33) from Mother (2020)

Pain - "Push the Pusher" (4:11) from Push the Pusher (2024)

Turmion Kätilöt - "Pyhä kolminaisuus" (3:29) from Omen X (2023)

Total length: 27:17

Here are my sneak peek submissions for the June Revolution playlist:

The Autumn Offering - "Revelation" (5:04) from Revelations of the Unsung (2004)

Bring Me the Horizon - "Shadow Moses" (4:03) from Sempiternal (2013)

Carnifex - "Torn in Two" (3:52) from Necromanteum (2023)

Make Them Suffer - "Epitaph" (3:37) from Epitaph (2024)

The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "Don't Get Blood on My Prada Shoes" (1:36) from Put on Your Rosy Red Glasses (2003)

Trivium - "Fall Into Your Hands" (7:45) from In the Court of the Dragon (2021)

Within the Ruins - "Death of the Rockstar" (3:51) from Halfway Human (2017)

Total length: 29:48

Here are my submissions for the June Infinite playlist:

Amorphis - "Course of Fate" (4:15) from Skyforger (2009)

Becoming the Archetype - "The Balance of Eternity (The Physics of Fire Pt. 4)" (8:49) from The Physics of Fire (2007)

Dream Theater - "About to Crash" (5:50) from Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002)

Pain of Salvation - "Reasons" (4:45) from In the Passing Light of Day (2017)

Scar Symmetry - "Reichsfall" (5:15) from The Singularity (Phase II – Xenotaph) (2023)

Total length: 28:54

Here are my submissions for the June Gateway playlist:

Avatar - "Make It Rain" (3:15) from Make It Rain / On the Other Side of Tonight (2024)

Bad Omens - "Kingdom of Cards" (4:21) from Finding God Before God Finds Me (2019)

Evanescence - "Lithium" (3:44) from The Open Door (2006)

Future Palace - "Paradise" (3:28) from Run (2022)

Linkin Park - "Qwerty" (3:22) from Papercuts (2024)

Mushroomhead - "Your Demise" (4:21) from Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children (2010)

Nik Nocturnal, Bad Wolves - "Octane" (3:14) from Octane (2024)

Sleep Token - "Alkaline" (3:34) from This Place Will Become Your Tomb (2021)

Total length: 29:19

Here are my thoughts on all selected tracks:

Fear Factory - "Demanufacture" from Demanufacture (1995)

5/5. Already proving the song's original album to be a classic, its title opener starts with synth atmosphere before a killer riff joins in, followed by bass and drums, all proving the band to be industrial metal legends! The crushing riffs and thundering drums perfectly stand alongside the amazing vocal charisma in the growls and cleans.

Turmion Kätilöt - "Teurastaja" from Hoitovirhe (2004)

5/5. Fantastic industrial beats and metal instrumentation are worth taking it to the dancefloor. No matter how much of the Finnish language you can understand (I can't), the great intense vocals of MC Raaka Pee never betray.

Samael - "Rain" from Passage (1996)

4.5/5. Samael is known as the true Swiss heroes of symphonic/industrial metal, and killer songs like this help verify that claim. Fans of the band's earlier black metal album shouldn't f*** with the more creative freedom and madness the band decided to have with their true change of sound from Passage onwards. Their satanic sound before Passage is a good reason why I lost touch with the band's material a couple years ago. But I'm glad as h*ll to be building it back up a bit. They still can sound quite f***ing heavy in other songs from their industrial metal albums. Let it rain!

Godflesh - "Someone Somewhere Scorned" from Slavestate E.P. (1991)

4.5/5. Godflesh has made many different releases and songs that I enjoy, and they nicely cement the band's phenomenal ways of industrial metal. This is another excellent song from the band and a nice break from the more dance-y songs in this playlist like the previous two.

The Amenta - "Teeth" from Flesh is Heir (2013)

5/5. This spectacular brutal highlight takes the industrial vibes of 3TEETH and gives it the Gojira prog-death treatment.

Combichrist - "Modern Demon" from Planet Doom (2024)

4.5/5. Similarly to Psyclon Nine, Combichrist started off as aggrotech before gradually evolving into industrial metal. This single from their new EP combines both eras.

Death SS - "S.I.A.G.F.O.M." from The 7th Seal (2006)

4/5. An interesting blend of classic heavy metal, industrial metal, and satanic horror themes, similar to Danzig's late 90s work.

Circle of Dust - "Regressor" (Aggressive Mix) from Brainchild (1994)

4.5/5. "HE'S A KILLER, I SAW IT!" Many audio samples like that one from Robocop 2 plague this haunting track. For anyone more familiar with Klayton's current more famous project Celldweller can be pleasantly surprised by his work in Circle of Dust. There's also a remix of that track by Battlejuice. I'm currently 25 and looking out for music like this that take on more serious and experimental aspects than the power metal I used to listen to 10 years before today.

Celldweller - "I Can't Wait" from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012)

5/5. I'm doing a fantastic with my serious and experimental quest thanks to Klayton, among many other rock/metal artists. His music as Celldweller needs a lot more appreciation. The buildup before the final chorus at one minute left is a total spine-chiller. I don't know where my path will take me next, but I CAN'T WAIT.

Crossbreed - "Reflections" from .01 (1998)

4.5/5. Some pretty cool nu/industrial metal, that's all I'm gonna say there.

Rammstein - "Stein um Stein" from Reise, Reise (2004)

4/5. The Neue Deutsche Härte sound developed by Rammstein is quite a phenomenon. I'm definitely OK with this track, though I would like it more if I can get its appeal.

Realize - "Predawn Gloom" from Two Human Minutes (2023)

4/5. Here's some doomy industrial metal gloom that's quite bleak and cool.

Eisbrecher - "Eiszeit" from Eiszeit (2010)

4.5/5. A slightly more enjoyable NDH song to break the ice.

Ruoska - "Amortem" from Amortem (2006)

5/5. Surprisingly, I barely find Finnish industrial metal bad at all despite having the same problem at NDH (sung in a different language). I think one reason why I find this song perfect enough to make me up for more of this band is because of vocalist Patrik Mennander having performed unclean vocals in the first two Battlelore albums.

CHRISTWVRKS - "It Never Was the Same" from Teeth Fall From the Open Eye (2019)

4.5/5. The cool bleak doomy industrial metal gloom continues from that Realize track.

Ministry - "TV Song 1/6 Edition" from Hopiumforthemasses (2024)

4/5. Then we speed up into rapid-fire thrash-metalcore-esque riffing and drumming in this song from Ministry's latest offering.

Motionless in White - "Werewolf" from Scoring the End of the World (2022)

4.5/5. My first time listening to this track was a quite exciting experience, having some of the most f***ing experimentation they've had for so long. It's like a Carpenter Brut remake of Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me", especially when Chris Motionless sings Michael Jackson's hook from that song. Some fans may love it, others may hate it. The chorus is my favorite here with pleasing harmonies, "I can be honest, I can be human, I can become the silver bullet in your hand". I want more of that!

ASP - "Welcome" from Weltunter (2003)

4/5. A pretty great gothic industrial rock/metal song with a catchy chorus.

Front Line Assembly - "Millennium" from Millennium (1994)

4.5/5. This track helps solidify its original album's place in the mid-90s industrial metal triptych between Killing Joke's Pandemonium and Fear Factory's Demanufacture.

Strapping Young Lad - "Bring on the Young" from SYL (2003)

5/5. This standout ends Strapping Young Lad's 3rd album similarly to City. It is a drawn-out slow epic building up to a powerful climax. I honestly like this album's closing track better than that of City, despite that album being more perfect than this one.

Red Harvest - "Move or Be Moved" from Cold Dark Matter (2000)

4.5/5. After that preview track from their 1998 Newrage World Music EP in last December's Sphere playlist, it's time for the full track that came in two years later in Cold Dark Matter, as excellent as that preview!

Mechina - "The Hyperion Tragedy" from Acheron (2015)

4/5. Now this is a massive beast of an almost 10-minute epic that works as the soundtrack to a massive space battle. There's a lot of epic power in both the title and the song that's nothing but true galactic carnage. This extensive track is so interesting and prevails as one of the best songs of that Mechina album.

Sybreed - "Into the Blackest Light" from God is an Automaton (2012)

4.5/5. It hurts that Sybreed split up after this song's original album. This heavy banger goes f***ing hard especially in the breakdown midway through.

The Kovenant - "Industrial Twilight" from Seti (2003)

4/5. Let's end this playlist with I once thought was one of the best tracks from this Kovenant album SETI. It's a shame that I stopped listening to this band recently, especially since they've just ended their long hiatus. Maybe they will finally finish the long-awaited Aria Galactica album that's been in development Hell as long as Wintersun's Time II.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some slight drops in quality throughout. Anyway, I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Here are my thoughts on all selected tracks:

Like Moths to Flames - "All That You Lost" from Where the Light Refuses to Go (2019)

4.5/5. First track of this playlist and we're already get some vicious low growls and high screams. The balance of soft ambience and heavy aggression is cranked up and ready for action. For the most hardcore fans of metalcore, it's showtime!

Bullet for My Valentine - "Your Betrayal" from Fever (2010)

5/5. is simple yet killer! It starts with a military marching drum intro for soldiers to prepare for war with a mood similar to a song from The Poison. The simple elements continue on including drop-C tuned guitars, screams and whispers. After the second chorus, the middle section is different from your typical BFMV song. No guitar solo, just siren-like wailing vocals over heavy guitar. It does show some maturity, but it would've been better if the guitar solo does the siren-like wailing. Still perfect all the same!

Any Given Day - "Get That Done" from Limitless (2024)

4.5/5. An excellent song that oughta level up some mornings for me and my brother who likes this band. It definitely has some similarity to the likes of Killswitch Engage! And speak of the devil....

Killswitch Engage - "In Due Time" from Disarm the Descent (2013)

5/5. The main riff in this song is pure heavy metalcore bliss. Awesome music, awesome lyrics ("Shadows will give way to light")!

Thrown - "On the Verge" from On the Verge (2023)

4.5/5. Nicely brutal! Don't let the occasional trap-like beat throw you off though.

If I Were You - "Hate Me" from Radiant Dark (2020)

4/5. Also nicely brutal! You can hear a lot of heaviness from the DOOM-line intro riff to the screams of Ryan Kirby from Fit for a King.

Fit for a King - "Backbreaker" from Dark Skies (2018)

4.5/5. And here's a killer song from that band, Fit for a King! I'm so thankful for being able to discover bands like this.

In Hearts Wake - "Frequency" from Ark (2017)

5/5. This perfect song can still be f***ing powerful even after the brutality of the previous 3 tracks in this playlist are toned down, particularly in the chorus riffing. Apparently, it's about the lonely 52-hertz whale.

Crown the Empire - "Johnny Ringo" from Limitless (2011)

4.5/5. The story of Johnny Ringo is detailed in this EP and the first two Crown the Empire albums, with its main focus in the "Johnny" tracks. This is powerful theatrical metalcore in a similar vein to Ice Nine Kills. "Don't ever trust the devil, b***h!"

Space of Variations - "Tribe" from Tribe (2024)

4/5. Get spaced out with another killer track to enjoy!

Threat Signal - "Trust in None" from Threat Signal (2011)

4.5/5. An underrated song from a great band that needs more attention. The modern melodic metalcore sound is real and cool as f***. I should really get back to listening to this band someday.

Dragoncorpse - "A Quest for Truth" from A Quest for Truth (2024)

4/5. Dragoncorpse is the answer to the question "What if you can easily blend deathcore with power metal?" This song ended up having one of the most comedic music videos ever in all of metal. And I love the keyboard solo here. I guess you can consider this a more metalcore Into Eternity. A great track with some weird stellar sh*t! The secret to originality in power metal is to mix it with a different metal genre. And we reach a beautiful climax at the 4-minute point.

Within Destruction - "Toxic" from Lotus (2022)

4.5/5. Within Destruction started off as deathcore, then they switched to modern metalcore. And holy sh*t, there's some impressive fire here, especially in the drumming.

Embodyment - "Blinded" from Embrace the Eternal (1998)

5/5. If you combine the metalcore of Converge at that time with the Christian death metal of Mortification, this killer highlight would be it.

As Blood Runs Black - "Angel City Gamble" from Instinct (2011)

4.5/5. This band is willing to "RISK. IT. ALL!!!!!" to combine melodic death metal with deathcore, and it paid off with a wicked heavy sound that shall never die. Absolutely phenomenal! The riffing melody shines at the start of the last 3rd of the track before a face-punching ending breakdown with a f***ing killer scream of "DO NOT FEAR THE FAILURES!" Another deathcore band that can blend melody and brutality in the riffing like that is All Shall Perish. That band and this one is proof that deathcore can still be metal despite what pure metalheads believe. "WILL YOU PURSUE?!"

Amaranthe - "Re-Vision" from The Catalyst (2024)

5/5. This driving highlight breaks through hard with vocoder and the harmony of the vocal trio. A perfect standout!

Currents - "The Death We Seek" from The Death We Seek (2023)

4.5/5. Sick modern metalcore, but there are other bands for me...

Half Me - "Wraith" from Soma (2023)

4/5. And there's more of that sick modern metalcore where that came from! The vocals, riffing, and breakdown all go f***ing hard.

Volumes - "Vahle" from No Sleep (2014)

4.5/5. This powerful underrated song has emotional lyrics in memory of someone the band knew who's last name was Vahle. "Why'd you have to go, why'd you have to go? I've been waiting... Staring at the floor, staring at the phone."

Rolo Tomassi - "Fofteen" from Hysterics (2008)

5/5. This legendary female-fronted mathcore band started off with a more brutal sound before the more serene cleanly-sung later albums. Fantastic!

Car Bomb - "Pieces of You" from Centralia (2007)

4.5/5. Urgently, the drums roll into an opening explosion of the discordant chaos that make up Car Bomb. Seriously, it's TDEP's Irony is a Dead Scene on steroids! This is dark extreme mathcore that marks a killer break from the black metal/grindcore that extreme metal is often associated with.

Protest the Hero - "Limb from Limb" from Fortress (2008)

5/5. Another favorite here! Rody Walker's awesome vocal range varies rapidly, perfectly playing together with the guitar work without overshadowing it. The lower death growls are a bit unnecessary but fit well for the experimentation in the music. The common tapping is still there, but then we find something unique, groovy keyboard soloing by Vadim Pruzhanov from DragonForce. Wicked but I wanna hear from that band's guitarists too.

Iwrestledabearonce - "Pazuzu for the Win" from It's All Happening (2009)

5/5. Another female-fronted mathcore band with a perfect blend of brutality and melody. IWABO FTW!

The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "The Weekly Wars" from Mongrel (2007)

4.5/5. There are so many underrated mathcore bands, and #12 is one of them! Mongrel picks up where the band's wicked mathcore sound in Nuclear Sad Nuclear left off but with more melody, later perfected in Worse Than Alone. What I love is the building ascent and top-notch lyrics. The sound is a more mathcore take on the progressiveness of BTBAM and Cynic, and that's something to remember.

PSYCHO-FRAME - "The Plot To Nuke The Midwest" from Automatic Death Protocol E.P. (2023)

4/5. Now here's some wild brutal deathcore suitable for the moshpit. That f***ing snare though!

Whitechapel - "This Is Exile" from This Is Exile (2008)

4.5/5. This track uses kind of an oriental harmonic guitar scale, especially in the breakdown when one guitar plays the melody, while the other two play the ravaging rhythm.

The Acacia Strain - "House of Abandon" from Death is the Only Mortal (2012)

5/5. The Acacia Strain have already bringing deathcore down to its deathcore variant earlier than other bands. This is also one of the best ways to end a deathcore album. "LIFE IS THE SLOWEST DAY TO DIE!!!!"

VEXED - "It's Not the End" from Negative Energy (2023)

4.5/5. That's right, it's not the end of the playlist yet. This heavy yet beautiful track pays tribute to anyone who has lost their loved ones. Within heartbreak and sorrow, there's hope and strength in all of us. Even when losing a lot that you hold dear, you should never give up. Let out your emotion from the heart so you don't keep it all bottled up. We may not live forever, but the memories of who we lost shall stay eternal. Make sure you have a nice life with your family while any of you are still around. On top of that, we shouldn't put down metalcore while it's still evolving and more female-fronted bands are rolling in like Vexed and Spiritbox. The deepest tears can be shed as you reminisce in grief, but you can always help yourself overcome these tough times. And don't forget, Megan Targett can really master both heavenly cleans and hellish growls.

Zao - "The Web" from The Crimson Corridor (2021)

5/5. Now this is how the playlist should end, with a 10-minute epic filled with the post-/progressive metal aspects of Cult of Luna. Not as f***ing long as The Acacia Strain's "Observer", but quite a journey within a journey.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some slight drops in quality throughout. Anyway, I recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Devin Townsend – Deadhead (2003)

4.5/5. Let's start off with this beautiful song from Canadian metal mastermind Devin Townsend. I still love the emotion spawned from there!

Leprous – Mb. Indifferentia (2011) 

4/5. I've been a bit indifferent to Leprous for the past couple years, though songs like this make me question why. The perfect vocals of Einar Solberg first enter around the one-minute mark alongside instrumentation that starts reminiscent of the softer Opeth but then rises to be similar to the heavier side of Devin Townsend. Then gets more ominous right in the middle, but after a minute of that, right around 4 and half minutes into the song, that when we reach the heavier climax that Dream Theater is often good at doing. "DO NOTHING AT ALL!!!!"

Pain of Salvation – On a Tuesday (2017)

4.5/5. I haven't heard from this band for so long, apart from a few small revisits. In the Passing Light of Day was the last album I heard from this band 7 years ago before I switched out of the more melodic progressive metal. The lyrics have f***ing meaningful emotion that fits nicely with the Nine Inch Nails vibe in the instrumentation. This song and "Reasons" were total heavy rollercoasters for me back in those days. The "I lost the will" bridge is so beautiful. Then right after that, the heaviness comes back to surprise you. The verses are quite deep with a bit of shallowness. I can understand, considering the near-fatal Hell the band's frontman Daniel Gildenlöw went through when he suffered from a life-threatening disease. Luckily he's still alive and well.

Into Eternity – Into Eternity (1999)

5/5. Ah yeah, the perfect theme song for this progressive melodeath band Into Eternity! Guitarist Tim Roth can write great lyrics and has nice clean singing. This whole "song and album with the same name as the band" thing has been done before by classic heavy metal bands Black Sabbath, Motorhead, and Iron Maiden.

Mutoid Man – Beast (2015)

5/5. For a two-minute track, this one perfectly unites progressive metal with hardcore/speed metal as the leads and rhythms strike each other for dominance.

Persefone – Lingua Ignota Part 1 (2024)

4.5/5. The best riffing comes on in the title track of their new EP. Here we have some great guitar soloing to level up the surrounding riffing and give the EP some redeeming value. This definitely throws back to the band's better earlier material. Although the verses and choruses can sometimes get me ticked, they're still at their best here. The cleans should've been slightly reduced though.

Ever Forthright – Techniflux (2024)

4/5. Soft piano, funky bass, crushing guitar... Ain't that a great combo! The only problem here is the generic structure throughout this 13-minute progressive epic.

Intronaut – Fast Worms (2015) 

4.5/5. Wow, this is the 3rd time this Intronaut song has appeared in an Infinite playlist. I won't complain though, this is f***ing killer jazzy post-/progressive metal with flawless mixing by Devin Townsend.

Voivod – Technocratic Manipulators (1998)

5/5. This highlight demonstrates highly creative originality, packing powerful metal punches, sounding so progressive without turning into a 20-minute epic! After a calm dark ambient intro with a few bass touches, the crossover-ish dynamics erupt with speedy riff rhythms and signature snarling vocals. Near the two-minute mark, the song makes a weird evolution into old-school Hawkwind-like spacey guitar rhythms. Many styles and influences all in dexterous textures in only under 5 minutes. A truly awesome feat!

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Anthrax/Public Enemy – Bring The Noise (1991)

4.5/5. Now here's an interesting way to start this playlist. It's a f***ing hard mix of metal and hip-hop in this Anthrax/Public Enemy collaboration. This can be remembered one of the earliest rap metal songs (besides "I'm the Man") and perhaps one of the earliest hints of nu metal. If anyone thought that Linkin Park/Jay-Z mashup EP Collision Course is the best example of a rock/metal band teaming up with a legendary rapper, Anthrax/Public Enemy had their own thing going on before then.

Bad Omens – Just Pretend (2022)

5/5. This one starts slow, but when the drums and guitars kick in, Noah lets out all of his vocal emotion. The heavier action will keep you on your seat. As awesome as that song is, I'm both surprised and not about this song's presence in TikTok boosting the band's fame.

The Blank Theory – Faded (1998)

4.5/5. The Blank Theory started off as more of a metallic take on indie rock, but they would get heavier by the time of their only full album Beyond the Calm of the Corridor. People seem to really mistake this band for Linkin Park. Probably because this song sounds so Linkin Park-ish and the band name sounds similar to Linkin Park's earlier name, debut EP, and debut album, Hybrid Theory. My brother might be able to play this on guitar, if the tabs ever get released.

BOI WHAT – Funeral of an Antihero (2024)

4/5. Boi What made another song with his Plankton AI voice, this one distancing further from the Spongebob-themed lyrics of his other singles. It's more of a My Chemical Romance-inspired banger. If there ever is a movie to mark the ultimate finale of Spongebob Squarepants, this song would work well for Plankton's redeeming self-sacrifice.

Breaking Benjamin – Break My Fall (2004)

3.5/5. This track combines heavy guitar with Burnley's singing in steady motion. Wonderful, yet nothing else worth writing about there...

Bring Me the Horizon – Teardrops (2020)

4/5. You know Bring Me the Horizon as that band with epic metalcore hits like "It Never Ends". Still their newer alt-metal material like this track sounds pretty great.

Butcher Babies – Lilith (2017)

4.5/5. Another killer respectable track from these cool ladies of extreme alt-metal!

Gravity Kills – Enough (1996)

4/5. Another piece of alt-rock/industrial metal that I love, but still not enough to go further with this band. You can jam out during a long drive! Definitely having some vibes from Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, and a bit KMFDM.

In This Moment – I Would Die For You (2023)

4.5/5. An epic ballad originally in the soundtrack for John Wick: Chapter 4. It reaches a hysterical climax that has really paid off.

Issues – Since I Lost You (2024)

5/5. Seems like Issues stopped their will to go on after they fired clean vocalist Tyler Carter for abuse allegations. This final single has bassist Skyler Acord performing clean vocals, and the band's final shows have Brian Butcher (The Home Team) as their clean vocalist. Adrian "AJ" Rebollo sounds talented in his guitarwork. Let's just hope this pop metal sound the band perfected will live on. Farewell Issues....

Linkin Park – War (2014)

4.5/5. This one is surprisingly closer sounding to Bad Religion, but the stunning punk attack moves on smoothly. For a two-minute song, guitarist Brad Delson has quite some time to pull a fierce solo with Chester Bennington (RIP) playing rhythm guitar to follow his lead (pun somewhat intended).

Sleep Token – Blood Sport (2019)

5/5. One of the most stunning tracks from this band! If I discovered this band a few years ago instead of last year, it would've suited the COVID isolation quite well. The only other band that could sound so emotional in the music and lyrics is Type O Negative. Vessel can really let out his thoughts like he would in other tracks like "Alkaline".

Voice of Baceprot – Testify (Live Session) (2021)

4.5/5. Time to end this playlist with...an Islamic female nu/rap metal cover of a Rage Against the Machine song. RATM Guitarist Tom Morello has certainly influenced aspiring metal musicians all over the globe, including this band from Indonesia (directly South of my country Malaysia), Voice of Baceprot. This cover is quite amazing! Teamwork has been put to the test and it ends well as those girls stand together to revolutionize their unique image. Nicely done!